


Ondine

by Halighfataliter



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist
Genre: AU, Cambridge, Gen, Post Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-21
Updated: 2013-05-21
Packaged: 2017-12-12 13:41:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/812209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Halighfataliter/pseuds/Halighfataliter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sleepless nights are propitious times for theories.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ondine

In the distance, the bells of King's College rang three times, disturbing for a moment the quiet Cambridgeshire night.

A heartbeat passed, an owl resumed its gentle hooting and Ed swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Exhaustion ached deep within his bones. As always when sleep eluded him, Mustang’s last, wistful expression found its way in his thoughts. Home. In all probability, the Gate was no more. And yet, Ed couldn’t keep portals and universes out of his head.

He reached for his trousers and padded silently to the window. The night was hot and Ed sighed at the kiss of the breeze. His eyes caught the shimmery reflection of the river riffling gently. A swan swam along its curve, feathers glowing a pearly white under the moonlight. Suddenly, it dove its long neck in the water, tipping down beneath the surface and Ed sucked in a breath. Wrenching himself from his quiet contemplation, he leaned over the window with sudden interest. Around the swan like a dissonant echo, rippling lines of silver were overlapping smoothly the natural undulation of the water.

“Dammit, surface tension, that could be it…”

Patterns of fluid movements came to his mind, formulas, wavenumbers, angular frequencies. Ed walked back inside, hope like bile at the back of his throat. In the adjoining room, he grabbed a handful of chalk sticks and in a wide sweep his arm erased his latest research from the board.

With a trembling hand, he began to write.

**Author's Note:**

> Written in 2012 for the prompt "Ripple".


End file.
